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 A stuffed Bobcat appears to play with the architect's rendering of the new 77,000 square-foot Bass Pro Shops Sportsman's Warehouse, located in historic St. Charles. Bass Pro Shops Arrives in St. Charles By Bob Moore, SLFP.com
During a special preview, July 18, area residents and local city officials enjoyed an opportunity to learn tips on casting techniques and browze through the large selection of fishing and hunting gear, in addition to camping, marine, clothing and footwear departments. The first Bass Pro Shops was opened in 1971 in Springfield, MO, by John L. Morris. An avid bass fisher, John L. was unable to find the fishing equipment he had seen while competing in a bass fishing tournament in 1970. He took his love of bass fishing and opened a little room in the back of one of the Brown Derby liquor stores owned by his father, John A. Morris, so he could stock great new lures and high-tech fishing equipment. In an interview during the preview, Morris talked about his passion for the sport. "I was looking for an excuse to stay close to fishing," he said. "At the time, I was just trying to get the shelves stocked everyday and have some fun while we were doing it." John L. decided to call his store Bass Pro Shops because it was the most descriptive of his mission to be a leading specialist shop for bass gear. In 1974, Bass Pro Shops published its first catalog. The 180-page catalog of about 1,500 items was distributed throughout 20 states. Today, more than 34 million master, seasonal and specialty catalogs, featuring more than 30,000 items, find their way into sportsmen's homes all over the world each year. He noted that it took a lot of hard work, good people and good fortune to build the Bass Pro Shops enterprise. In 1981, Bass Pro Shops opened the doors to its new Outdoor World national headquarters showroom in Springfield, Missouri. The Outdoor World draws nearly 4 million visitors a year to see a cascading four-story waterfall, meandering streams, native rock formations, full-scale two-story log cabin with a working water wheel and trout pool. The St. Charles location is the 13th store. "We're really excited to open this store," said Morris. "A lot of people up here love to hunt and fish and we're looking forward to taking care of them." The store will bring nearly 150 jobs to the St. Charles area.
The Grand Opening Celebration, August 23 - 26, will feature the Bullseye Challenge casting tank, the PSE Archery Trailer, Coleman® "Out There" mobile interactive touring attraction and museum, the Richard English Live Deer display with three Boone and Crockett size bucks, and several mounts from the King of Bucks® Collection on loan from the Springfield, Missouri Bass Pro Shops® Museum. The event will include free seminars and an opporunity to meet RedHead® Pro Hunting Team members Jerry Martin and Brenda Valentine. Demonstrations will be provided by The Carpenter Boys, stars of ESPN2's "The Casting Crew", and archery specialists Byron Ferguson and Randy Oitker. St. Louis Rams first choice draft rookie Damien Lewis will be at the Sportsman's Warehouse, Sept 1. Regular store hours will be Monday thru Sunday, 9 a.m. - 10 p.m. and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.  Archived News: Ameristar Rolls Out New Master Plan Hit the Road on the Web in St. Charles World Cup Ice Speedway Championships Restaurant Inspection Scores Now Online Station Casino St. Charles Sold County Opens Quail Ridge Park Family Arena Settles With Union Former Hostage Talks About Prayer Battle by the Bridge' Highway 370 Becomes Missouri's High Tech Corridor World's Toughest Rodeo - Ruff & Tumble Up Close and Personal at the Rodeo Otters Continue Winning Streak Otters Win Inaugural Game at Arena Ground Breaking for Family Arena MasterCard Builds for Future Coca-Cola Builds in St. Charles Return to St. Louis Front Page  The St. Louis Front Page is owned and maintained by the Moore Design Group for the sole purpose of disseminating news and information about the Metropolitan St. Louis area. Text or graphics may not be copied, rewritten or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission. For more information, contact editor@slfp.com All rights reserved world wide © 1996 - 2008 Moore Design Group . | ||||||
